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Creator Jam
Upcoming
Theme drops September 3
September Jam
Something's coming to RUN. A $3,000 prize pool, a theme kept under lock and key until September 3, and no time to lose once it drops. Get your tools ready.
Free to enter
100,000
free credits included
You pay $0 to build. AI credits are on us, and Discord keeps you topped up if you run low.
Run low before submissions close? Ping us on Discord and we'll keep you building.
We'll email your 100,000-credit code when the jam opens.
01 / What is RUN?
Build the game you want to play.
Turn an idea into something people can play, watch, or read. Build with AI, then publish for people to enjoy together on iOS, Android, and web. No studio or technical background required. Get weird.
It can pay
- Revenue sharePublished entries earn you real money.
- Cash-prize jamsLike this one, with $3,000 on the line.
- Free AI credits100,000 credits included for this jam. Sign up with your email to get the code.
One tap, publish everywhere
Reach players in minutes.
- iOS Live
- Android Live
- Web Live
- Steam Coming soon
- Smart TV Coming soon
Required: read this first
The theme isn't live yet.
The theme reveals September 3 at noon PT, the official start line. Build your entry on RUN (anything started earlier won't count), and use the time now to get your tools set up and find collaborators.
02 / How to enter
Get set up, wait for the theme, publish it.
Full theme details drop September 3, along with the official jam templates to build from. Build a game, publish to RUN before submissions close, and you're in. No forms, no fuss. Building a story or video instead? Just publish it to be eligible for the Story & Video Editor's Picks.
01
Get set up
Try out our tools now: use one of our no-code browser tools, Game Studio, Story Studio, or Video Studio, or test drive the CLI with your own AI desktop app, so you're ready to build the moment the theme drops.
02
Wait for the theme
The theme unlocks September 3, the official start line. Once it's live, you'll have 11 days to build: solo or with friends, no team-size cap.
03
Publish to RUN
Share your entry to RUN before September 14 at noon PT and you land on the board automatically. Publishing early costs you nothing and gives your entry more time to rack up plays before judging closes. Keep refining all jam; updates never reset your entry.
04 / About
An 11-day jam. Theme drops September 3.
September Jam is a short, free creator jam on RUN. The theme stays under wraps until building opens September 3.
Until then, use the time to get set up: try Game Studio, Story Studio, Video Studio, or the Adventure Studio, pick a starter kit if you're going the game route, and get comfortable so you're ready to move fast the moment the theme drops. You'll have 11 days to build and publish, and winners are ranked by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment you publish through judging closes, so build something people want to come back to and play.
06 / Theme & rules
What counts as an entry
- To enter: build an original entry and publish it to RUN before September 14 at noon PT. Games must start from one of the official jam templates, in Game Studio or with the rundot CLI, or be built in the Adventure Studio (all count as a game entry). Every published, on-theme entry is entered automatically, with no separate submission form.
- Your entry must fit the theme, which drops September 3. Full eligibility details land with the theme reveal.
- Building opens September 3 at noon PT. Anything started before then is disqualified. Original ideas only: no 1:1 clones, no copyrighted character names or art.
- Solo or team, no team-size cap, but every team member must be credited.
- Submissions close Monday September 14 at noon PT. Late means disqualified.
- Scoring: winners in the Game track are decided by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment your entry is published through judging closes September 18 at noon PT. Publishing earlier gives your entry more time on the board, so publish as soon as it's ready and keep refining; updates never reset your entry or its play count. The Editor's Pick award is chosen by the RUN team. Winners are announced live after judging closes September 18 at noon PT.
- Story Studio and Video Studio entries are also welcome and compete separately for the Story & Video Editor's Picks (three awards, chosen by the RUN team), not the plays-based Game leaderboard.
07 / Schedule
Milestones
September 3 · 12:00 PT
Theme reveal & building opens
The theme drops and the jam officially opens. Check the jam Discord channel for the full reveal and starter kits, then clock in and build.
September 3 – September 14
11-day build
11 days to build your entry into a game, story, or video. Drop-in office hours all week.
September 14 · 12:00 PT
Pencils down
Submissions close. Anything published after this won't count.
September 14 – September 18
Judging period
Play the entries. Unique plays keep counting toward the leaderboard through judging. Winners across the Game track, the Editor's Pick, and the Story & Video Editor's Picks are all announced live after judging closes September 18 at noon PT.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this just for games?
No. Games are the main track: build a playable game from an official starter kit in Game Studio, from the Adventure Studio, or with the CLI, and it competes on the plays-based Game leaderboard. Story Studio and Video Studio entries are welcome too, and compete separately for the Story & Video Editor's Picks, three awards chosen by the RUN team rather than by plays. You can publish as many entries as you want; each one competes on its own.
Can I start building before September 3?
Practice and plan all you like, but your entry must be built during the jam, which opens September 3 at noon PT, the same moment the theme drops. Anything started earlier won't count. Use the wait to get comfortable in Game Studio, Story Studio, Video Studio, or the Adventure Studio with a throwaway project.
How does my entry get on the leaderboard?
Automatically. The moment your game is public and approved, it's added to the leaderboard, with no form and no submission step. Entries usually show up within about 5 minutes of being approved to public. One requirement: games have to start from one of the official jam templates. The starter kits drop with the theme on September 3; use one in Game Studio or with the CLI, or build in the Adventure Studio. A game built outside the provided templates isn't eligible, even if it's public and on-theme. Winners are decided by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment your entry is published through judging closes (September 18), so publishing earlier gives your entry more time to rack up plays. Publish early, get feedback, and keep refining; updates never reset your entry or its play count.
What counts as a qualifying entry?
For the Game track: any original game built during the jam that fits the theme, once it's revealed, built from an official starter kit, the Adventure Studio, or the CLI. For the Story & Video Editor's Picks: any original Story Studio or Video Studio entry made during the jam and published to RUN before submissions close, no kit required. Full theme and eligibility details drop with the reveal on September 3.
Does an Adventure Studio project count as a game?
Yes. An Adventure Studio build is a game entry: it competes in the Game track, on the same leaderboard as entries built from an official starter kit in Game Studio or the CLI. Whether you start from a starter kit in Game Studio, use the CLI, or build in the Adventure Studio, it all counts as a game. Just keep it original, on-theme, and published to RUN before submissions close.
What's Editor's Pick?
One Game-track award, $300, chosen by the RUN team rather than the ranked plays count. It's separate from the plays-based leaderboard, so an entry can place on the leaderboard and take Editor's Pick too. Story Studio and Video Studio entries compete for a separate set of awards, the Story & Video Editor's Picks: $300 for 1st, $100 for 2nd, and $100 for 3rd, also chosen by the RUN team.
I published. Now what?
Now you gather plays. Every unique player who plays your entry from now through judging closes (September 18) counts toward your score, so use the jam to share your entry and bring people back. Grab your entry's share link and post it everywhere it fits: the jam Discord channel, Reddit, X, your group chat. Early fans become plays that count toward your score right away. Point people at the leaderboard too. Watching the standings move is half the fun, and it pulls in more attention. Keep refining. You can keep improving your entry all jam; updates never reset your entry or its play count, and a sharper idea wins more plays.
Do I need to know how to code?
For games: no. Game Studio in your browser or an AI desktop app on your computer let you build a game by describing it in plain English. The AI writes the code; you steer and test. Story Studio and Video Studio work the same way: describe what you want and the AI builds it.
Can I work with a team?
Yes. Solo or team, no size cap. Just credit every member on your entry.
Will I be charged to enter or build?
No. You pay $0 to enter and build. AI generation has a real cost to RUN, so we use credits to track usage. We'll email you a promo code for 100,000 free credits when the jam opens. If you run low before submissions close, ping us on Discord and we'll keep you building.
When does it all end?
Pencils down Monday, September 14 at noon PT. Judging runs through September 18 at noon PT, and winners are announced live after it closes.